System and Method for Signal Amplification Using a Resistance Network

ABSTRACT

A signal amplification method includes receiving, from a capacitive sensor, a first input signal by a first control terminal of a first transistor, and a second input signal by a first control terminal of a second transistor. The method also includes producing a first output signal, including amplifying a first signal at a first load path terminal of the first transistor using a first inverting amplifier having an output coupled to a resistance network, and producing a second output signal, including amplifying a second signal at a first load path terminal of the second transistor using a second inverting amplifier having an output coupled to the resistance network. The method also includes feeding back the first and second output signal to a second load path terminal of the first transistor and to a second load path terminal of the second transistor via the resistance network according to a pre-determined fraction.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a system and method forsignal amplification, and, in particular embodiments, to a system andmethod for signal amplification using a resistance network.

BACKGROUND

Small-scale sensors are used in a wide variety of applications, a fewexamples of which include microphone systems, blood pressure monitoringsystems, and accelerometer systems for, e.g., airbag deployment. Toallow the use of sensors to become even more widespread, the size of endproducts that read out signals from these sensors is continuallydecreasing.

Additionally, to support the reduced size of these end products, sensorsmay be implemented using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). Forexample, mobile phone products, which are becoming more and morecompact, especially in thickness, may use MEMS microphoneimplementations.

Moreover, to further reduce end product size the MEMS sensors themselvescontinue to shrink. As the package size of MEMS sensors decreases,however, the sensitivity of these sensors may also decrease.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a first example embodiment of the present invention,an amplification device is provided. The amplification device includes aresistance network coupled between a first output of the amplificationdevice and a second output of the amplification device. Theamplification device also includes a first transistor having a controlterminal coupled to a first input node of the amplification device. Theamplification device also includes a first load path terminal coupled tothe resistance network at a first node. The amplification device alsoincludes a second transistor having a control terminal coupled to asecond input node of the amplification device and a first load pathterminal coupled to the resistance network at a second node. Theamplification device also includes a capacitive sensor coupled to thefirst input node and to the second input node. The amplification devicealso includes a first inverting amplifier that includes an input coupledto a second load path terminal of the first transistor and an outputcoupled to a first output node of the amplification device. Theamplification device also includes a second inverting amplifier thatincludes an input coupled to a second load path terminal of the secondtransistor. The second inverting amplifier also includes an outputcoupled to a second output node of the amplification device.

In accordance with a second example embodiment of the present invention,a method for signal amplification is provided. The method includesreceiving, by a first control terminal of a first transistor, a firstinput signal from a capacitive sensor. The method also includesreceiving, by a first control terminal of a second transistor, a secondinput signal from the capacitive sensor. The method also includesproducing a first output signal, to include amplifying a first signal ata first load path terminal of the first transistor using a firstinverting amplifier having an output coupled to a resistance network.The method also includes producing a second output signal, to includeamplifying a second signal at a first load path terminal of the secondtransistor using a second inverting amplifier having an output coupledto the resistance network. The method also includes feeding back thefirst output signal and the second output signal to a second load pathterminal of the first transistor and to a second load path terminal ofthe second transistor via the resistance network according to apre-determined fraction.

In accordance with a third example embodiment of the present invention,an amplifier system is provided. The amplifier system includes a firsttransistor having a control terminal coupled to a first input node, asecond transistor having a control terminal coupled to a second inputnode. In this implementation, the amplifier system also includes a firstinverting amplifier. The first inverting amplifier includes a thirdtransistor having a first load path terminal coupled to the first loadpath terminal of the first transistor. The amplifier system alsoincludes a first output node coupled to an output of the first invertingamplifier. The amplifier system also includes a second invertingamplifier, which includes a fourth transistor having a first load pathterminal coupled to the first load path terminal of the secondtransistor. The amplifier system also includes a second output nodecoupled to an output of the second inverting amplifier. The amplifiersystem also includes a switchable resistance network coupled between theoutput of the first inverting amplifier and the output of the secondinverting amplifier. The switchable resistance network is selectablycoupled to a second load path terminal of the first transistor and to asecond load path terminal of the second transistor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and theadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptionstaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a signal buffering systemthat uses current feedback to provide a configurable voltage gain for adifferential input device, in accordance with one of a number ofembodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates the small signal model of acapacitive sensor circuit that may be used as an input device of thesignal buffering system of FIG. 1, in accordance with one of a number ofembodiments;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates an amplifier circuit thatuses current feedback and maintains the sensor circuit of FIG. 2 in aconstant-charge configuration, in accordance with one of a number ofembodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that illustrates an amplifier circuit that maybe used as the amplifier circuit of FIG. 3, in accordance withembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a block diagram that illustrates an example amplifier circuithaving a differential amplifier stage that may be used to maintain thesensor circuit of FIG. 2 in a constant-charge configuration;

FIG. 5B is a block diagram that illustrates the differential amplifierstage of FIG. 5A in more detail;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates another example amplifiercircuit that may be used to maintain the sensor circuit of FIG. 2 in aconstant-voltage configuration;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram that illustrates a configurable amplifiersingle-ended circuit that may be used in the amplifier circuit of FIG.4, in accordance with one of a number of embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram that illustrates an embodiment of theamplifier single-ended circuit of FIG. 7 that uses a transistor bodyeffect to configure the voltage gain, in accordance with one of a numberof embodiments;

FIG. 9A is a block diagram that illustrates an equivalent small-signalcircuit for a single-ended circuit of the amplifier circuit of FIGS. 8;in accordance with one of a number of embodiments;

FIG. 9B is a block diagram that illustrates an equivalent small-signalcircuit for the amplifier single-ended circuit of FIG. 8, in accordancewith one of a number of embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a graph that illustrates an embodiment class-AB output stagethat may be used in the amplifier single-ended circuits of FIGS. 4, 7,and 8, in accordance with one of a number of embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for configuring thevoltage gain of an amplifier, in accordance with one of a number ofembodiments; and

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for signalamplification, in accordance with one of a number of embodiments.

Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures generallyrefer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated. The figures aredrawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the embodiments andare not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The making and using of embodiments of this disclosure are discussed indetail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the conceptsdisclosed herein can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts,and that the specific embodiments discussed herein are merelyillustrative and do not serve to limit the scope of the claims. Further,it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the spirit andscope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

The present invention will be described with respect to preferredembodiments in a specific context, a system and method for signalamplification for a capacitive microphone sensor. Further embodimentsmay be used to read out a variety of AC coupled or DC coupled signalstypes using configurable amplification or attenuation by a stage havinghigh input impedance.

In various embodiments, an amplifier circuit having a differential inputis enhanced with a current feedback in order to have a configurablevoltage gain. The voltage gain of this differential amplifier may beeither a positive-decibel (dB) gain of greater than zero dB, or anegative-dB gain of less than zero dB (i.e., an attenuation).

In various embodiments, the amplifier circuit has a pseudo-differentialoutput provided by a pair of amplifier single-ended circuits, which eachinclude an input transistor and an inverting output stage. The voltagegain of each single-ended circuit is controlled by current feedbackprovided by a resistive feedback network coupled to both amplifiersingle-ended circuits. In some embodiments, the voltage gain of theamplifier circuit may be adjusted by selectively coupling the sourceterminals of the input transistors to various nodes of the resistivefeedback network. The gain may be further adjusted by selectivelycoupling the body terminals of the input transistors to the variousnodes of the resistive feedback network, for example, to provideselectable attenuation. In some embodiments, the amplifier circuit maybe used to amplify the output of a capacitive sensor having adifferential or pseudo-differential output, such as an output of adouble-backplate MEMS microphone.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment signal buffering system 100 thatincludes a buffer circuit 101, which receives a pair of differentialinput signals at nodes having high input impedances. Buffer circuit 101includes high impedance stages 102 and 104 that have high inputimpedances and that read out the output signal from an input device 124that is included in the signal buffering system 100. Buffer circuit 101also includes input terminals 116 and 118. Input terminal 116 isconnected to the gate of an input transistor 110 of high impedance stage102, and provides it a first differential amplifier input signal havinga voltage V_(in,p). Input terminal 118 is similarly connected to thegate of an input transistor 110 of high impedance stage 104 and providesit a second differential amplifier input signal having a voltageV_(in,n) that is the negative of V_(in,p). Input transistors 110 may beimplemented, for example, as n-channel or p-channel Metal OxideSemiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs). Buffer circuit 101also includes output terminals 113 and 115 for each of these highimpedance stages 102 and 104, respectively. Output terminal 113 providesa first buffered output signal having a voltage V_(out,p) and a currentI_(out,p), and output terminal 115 provides a second buffered outputsignal having a voltage V_(out,n) and a current I_(out,n). Each of highimpedance stages 102 and 104 also is connected between a pair of supplyvoltages, which in the embodiment of FIG. 1 are depicted as railvoltages V_(dd) and V_(ss).

Input terminals 116 and 118 are also connected to differential outputterminals 126 and 128 of the input device 124. In an embodiment, thebuffer circuit 101 is implemented on an integrated circuit (IC) that maybe, for example, an Application Specific IC (ASIC). In such an ICembodiment, input terminals 116 and 118 and output terminals 113 and 115may be, e.g., contact pads of the IC. Input device 124 is connectedbetween the buffer circuit 101 and a fixed bias voltage V_(FB). In someembodiments, input device 124 is a sensor such as, for example, amicrophone. In some embodiments, input device 124 is a MEMS-basedsensor. In some embodiments, input device 124 includes one or morecapacitive sensors. In other embodiments, buffer circuit 101 is coupledto the signal source of input device 124 via DC coupling.

Referring again to FIG. 1, input device 124 has an output sensitivityS_(OUT)=S_(a). If high-impedance stages 102 and 104 were each to beimplemented using a simple source follower or super source followerstage that does not have a voltage gain, the output voltage noise V_(n)_(_) _(out) of the buffer circuit 101 could be approximated as varyingwith the input-referred voltage noise V_(n) _(_) _(in) of each ofhigh-impedance stages 102 and 104, in accordance with Equation 1:

V_(n) _(_) _(out) ²≈2*(V_(n) _(_) _(in))²   (Eq. 1)

To achieve, however, a target output sensitivity S_(ttl) for the signalbuffering system 100 that is greater than S_(a), high-impedance stages102 and 104 would need to provide a positive-dB voltage gain.

FIG. 2 shows the small signal model 224 of an embodiment sensor circuitthat can be used as the input device 124 of FIG. 1. The model circuit224 includes a first signal 204 and a second signal 206 that are eachgenerated by a respective voltage signal generator connected to a fixedbias voltage V_(FB) and that together generate a differential pair ofsignals that are respectively provided to terminals 126 and 128. Inother embodiments, other voltage signal generators that are not sensorsmay be used.

Referring again to FIG. 2, terminals 126 and 128 are respectivelycoupled to receive signals 204 and 206 by an output capacitor 230 havinga capacitance C₀, which is the capacitance of each sensor at rest, andare each respectively coupled to V_(FB) by a parasitic capacitor 232having a capacitance C_(p). In an embodiment, model circuit 224 models acapacitive sensor such as a microphone that provides better performancewhen it is biased in a constant-charge configuration by being connectedto high impedance nodes. In an embodiment, signals 204 and 206 aregenerated by the capacitance variation of a movable membrane and twofixed plates of a double back-plate MEMS device. In some suchembodiments, a constant-charge configuration may be maintained byconnecting the terminals 126 and 128 to high impedance nodes.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment amplification system 300, which may beused as the signal buffering system 100 of FIG. 1, and which implementsbuffer circuit 101 as an amplifier circuit 301 that is capable ofproviding either a positive-dB or negative-dB voltage gain. Amplifiercircuit 301 implements high-impedance stages 102 and 104 as amplifiersingle-ended circuits 302 and 304 and uses current feedback to providethe voltage gain to the differential signal from sensor circuit 224. Inother embodiments, any circuit having differential components that maybe modeled as a variable capacitance connected in parallel with aparasitic capacitance may be used as the input device to amplifiercircuit 301.

Referring again to FIG. 3, at output terminal 113, single-ended circuit302 provides a first pseudo-differential amplifier output signal havinga voltage V_(out,p) and a current I_(out,p). At output terminal 115,single-ended circuit 304 provides a second pseudo-differential amplifieroutput signal having a voltage V_(out,n) and a current I_(out,n).

Each of the single-ended circuits 302 and 304 respectively includes aninput transistor 310 that is a p-channel transistor such as, forexample, a p-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (PMOS) transistor. Eachof the single-ended circuits 302 and 304 also respectively includes acurrent source 342 connected to the drain of transistor 310 to bias itwith a current I_(s), and an inverting output stage 305 also connectedto the drain of transistor 310 that receives a current I₁ from the drainof transistor 310.

The inverting output stages 305 are inverting amplifiers that eachprovide either a voltage gain of −A from the input voltage to the outputvoltage, or a trans-resistance gain of −A from the input current I₁ tothe output voltage. It may be implemented in various embodiments asclass A output stages, class AB output stages, or any other type ofinverting output stage known in the art. In an embodiment, a low-ohmicinput node, such as, e.g., the source of a transistor, is used as theinput node for inverting output stage 305. In other embodiments, a highimpedance input, such as, e.g., the gate of a transistor, is used as theinput node for inverting output stage 305.

Referring again to FIG. 3, input terminal 116 is connected to the gateof transistor 310 of single-ended circuit 302, and provides it a firstdifferential amplifier input signal having a voltage V_(in,p). Inputterminal 118 is similarly connected to the gate of the transistor 310 ofsingle-ended circuit 304 and provides it a second differential amplifierinput signal having a voltage V_(in,n), that is the negative ofV_(in,p). To provide gate voltage bias and to allow signal swing at thegates of each of input transistors 310, these gates are also eachconnected via a respective high-ohmic resistance stage 322 to voltageV_(REF). High-ohmic resistance stages 322 each have a resistance R_(h)chosen such that

${\frac{1}{2\; \pi \; R_{h}C_{0}} < f_{\min}},$

where f_(min) is the lowest frequency of the signal bandwidth.

A respective resistance network 308 is included in each of single-endedcircuits 302 and 304. In an embodiment, the resistance networks 308 areimplemented using e.g., potentiometers, switched networks of resistors,or other variable resistances in order to provide a configurable voltagegain or attenuation. Such a configurable embodiment allows adjustment ofthe divided voltages provided to either the source or the body of eachtransistor 310. In other embodiments, the resistance networks 308 areimplemented as voltage dividers made up of multiple fixed resistorsconnected in series.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the two resistance networks 308 of amplifiercircuit 301 are connected to each other at a common node to form asingle resistance network, and the two single-ended circuits 302 and 304are thereby connected together. In single-ended circuit 302, theresistance network 308 is connected between this common node and theoutput of the inverting output stage 305, which is also connected to theoutput terminal 113 of amplification circuit 301. Similarly, insingle-ended circuit 304, the resistance network 308 is connectedbetween this common node and the output of the inverting output stage305, which is also connected to the output terminal 115 of amplificationcircuit 301. The common node that connects the respective resistancenetworks 308 of single-ended circuits 302 and 304 is also connected to acurrent source 340 that provides a current I_(mid) to each of theresistance networks 308 so that it may be used as bias current fortransistor 310.

In each of the single-ended circuits 302 and 304, respectively, theresistance network 308 is also connected to the source of transistor 310such that, in some embodiments, a divided voltage is provided to thesource of transistor 310, relative to the voltage across the entireresistance network 308. Additionally, in each of the single-endedcircuits 302 and 304, respectively, the resistance network 308 is alsoconnected to the body of transistor 310 such that, in some embodiments,a divided voltage is provided to the body of transistor 310, relative tothe voltage across the entire resistance network 308. These resistancenetworks 308 thus provide feedback paths that allow the amplifiercircuit 301 to provide a positive-dB voltage gain or negative-dB voltagegain, i.e., an attenuation.

The amplifier circuit 301, which is pseudo-differential, provides a pairof output signals at output terminals 113 and 115. If a common modesignal is applied on the input terminals 116 and 118 of amplifiercircuit 301, it will appear on the output terminals 113 and 115 with a 0dB voltage gain. Since the multiplier A has a large value, the negativefeedback of the single-ended circuits 302 and 304 senses I₁ and forcesit to be almost zero; for this reason it may be described as a currentfeedback. By configuring the amplifier circuit 301 for positive-dBvoltage gain, the amplification system 300 may achieve a target outputsensitivity S_(ttl), even when the output sensitivity S_(a) of sensordevice 224 is less than S_(ttl). In an embodiment, the positive-dBvoltage gain of amplifier circuit 301 can be increased to compensate forreduced sensitivity S_(a) that is caused by a reduction of back-volumeof sensor circuit 224.

FIG. 4 illustrates embodiment amplifier single-ended circuits 402 and404, which may be used as the single-ended circuits 302 and 304 of FIG.3. A respective feedback resistor 408 is included in each ofsingle-ended circuits 402 and 404 and has a resistance R₂. Anotherresistor 407 is included in both circuits 402 and 404 and has aresistance R₁. It is connected between the source of transistor 310 andthe common node between the 2 amplifiers. The output terminal 113 isconnected to the feedback resistor 408 of single-ended circuit 402, andthe output terminal 115 is similarly connected to the feedback resistor408 of single-ended circuit 404. In some embodiments, a respectivecurrent source is also connected between V_(ss) and each of outputterminals 113 and 115 to provide current sinking.

Referring again to FIG. 4, in each of circuits 402 and 404 a resistancenetwork formed by resistors 407 and 408 feeds back the output signal toa source terminal of transistor 310, which is also connected to the bodyterminal of transistor 310. The signal that is fed back is scaledaccording to a pre-determined fraction of the output signal, where areciprocal of this fraction has the value 1+R₂/R₁. The resistors R₁ andR₂ thus allow the amplifier circuit 301 (shown in FIG. 3) to provide avoltage gain from the differential input V_(in,p)−V_(in,n) to thedifferential output V_(out,p)−V_(out,n) equal to 1+R₂/R₁, which may bevaried from 0 dB to higher positive values. In some embodiments,configuring the single-ended circuits 402 and 404 for positive-dBvoltage gain allows the amplification system 300 (shown in FIG. 3) toachieve a target output sensitivity S_(ttl) even when the outputsensitivity S_(a) of sensor device 224 is less than S_(ttl).

Referring again to FIG. 4, each of the single-ended circuits 402 and 404includes a current biasing transistor 412 that acts as a constantcurrent source for the input transistor 310. Each of the single-endedcircuits 402 and 404 includes a class-A output stage 455 that includes acascode transistor 406, a constant current source provided by a currentbiasing transistor 403, and an output transistor 405. In the embodimentof FIG. 4, current biasing transistors 412 and cascode transistors 406are implemented as n-channel Metal Oxide Semiconductor (NMOS)transistors, while current biasing transistors 403 and outputtransistors 405 are implemented as PMOS transistors.

Referring again to FIG. 4, each of current biasing transistors 412 alsohas its respective source connected to rail voltage V_(ss). Each of thecurrent biasing transistors 403 and the output transistors 405 has,respectively, its source connected to rail voltage V_(dd) and its bodyinterconnected with its source. In an embodiment, supply voltage V_(dd)is also the maximum output voltage of single-ended circuits 402 or 404.

In each of single-ended circuits 402 and 404, respectively, the inputtransistor 310 has its drain connected to the drain of current biasingtransistor 412 and to the source of the cascode transistor 406. Also ineach of single-ended circuits 402 and 404, respectively, the drain ofthe cascode transistor 406 is connected to the drain of the currentbiasing transistor 403 and to the gate of the output transistor 405. Thedrain of the output transistor 405 of the single-ended circuit 402 isconnected to both the output terminal 113 and to the feedback resistor408 of single-ended circuit 402. The drain of the output transistor 405of the single-ended circuit 404 is connected to both the output terminal115 and to the feedback resistor 408 of single-ended circuit 404.

In each of single-ended circuits 402 and 404, respectively, the feedbackresistor 408 is connected to provide negative feedback from the outputof the amplifier stage to the source of the input transistor 310, whichis also connected to a resistor 407 having a resistance of R₁. Theresistors 407 of single-ended circuits 402 and 404 are connected to eachother, such that the source of the input transistor 310 of single-endedcircuit 402 is connected to the input transistor 310 of single-endedcircuit 404 via the two resistors 407 in between. In each ofsingle-ended circuits 402 and 404, respectively, the negative feedbackbuilt around the input transistor 310 prevents its current from varyingso that the voltages of the gate and source of the input transistor 310change by the same amount when a signal is applied to the gate.

In each of single-ended circuits 402 and 404, a current I₁ flows throughthe cascode transistors 406, and the negative feedback senses I₁ andforces it to be almost zero due to the large gain multiplier A ofsingle-ended circuits 402 and 404. Because I₁ is approximately equal tozero, when a differential signal is applied to the inputs ofsingle-ended circuits 402 and 404, the difference V_(out,p)−V_(out,n)between the positive and negative output voltages will be in accordancewith Equation 2:

$\begin{matrix}{{V_{{out},p} - V_{{out},n}} = {\left( {V_{{in},p} - V_{{in},n}} \right) \cdot \left( {1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}} \right)}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 2} \right)\end{matrix}$

Thus, single-ended circuits 402 and 404 provide a precise voltage gainby using a ratio of resistances R₂ and R₁. If the resistances R₁ and R₂are chosen to be small they will contribute little noise to the outputsV_(out,p) and V_(out,n). In the embodiment of FIG. 4, class A outputstages 455 are used, but in other embodiments class-AB output stages maybe used so that the output of each of single-ended circuits 402 and 404is able to sink and source a current equal to V_(dd)/(2R₁+2R₂).

Resistors 407 and 408 will increase amplifier power consumption duringhigh signal swings, but in many applications, including, e.g., normaluse of a mobile phone microphone, such rail-to-rail signals are notoften reached. Moreover, because resistors 407 and 408 are not connectedto ground, they do not impact the DC power consumption.

Referring again to FIG. 4, if the bias current of the input transistor310 were solely provided by the output transistor 405, this currentflowing through resistor 408 would create a voltage drop on resistor 408and thus cause an equal reduction of the output voltage swing. Toprevent this loss of output voltage swing, current source 340 providesat least a portion of the bias current of the input transistor 310. Thecurrent I_(mid) provided by current source 340 may have a relativelyhigher noise level, since this common mode noise will be canceled in thepseudo-differential outputs V_(out,p) and V_(out,n). In someembodiments, the single-ended circuits 402 and 404 may provide arail-to-rail output swing even when their voltage gain is close to 0 dB.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example amplifier circuit 501 that may be used asthe buffer circuit 101 of FIG. 1 to provide a voltage gain whilemaintaining a sensor device 224 in a constant-charge configuration.Amplifier circuit 501 includes amplifier single-ended circuits 502 and504, each of which respectively includes a differential amplifier 506, afirst capacitor 530, a second capacitor 532, and a resistor 522 that hasresistance R_(h).

In amplifier circuit 501, capacitors 530 and 532 are used as gainelements, and thus it is necessary to connect them to nodes having highinput impedances. In each of the single-ended circuits 502 and 504,respectively, the first capacitor 532 is connected between the negativeinput of the differential amplifier 506 and the output of thedifferential amplifier 506, and the first capacitor 530 is connectedbetween the negative input and voltage V_(ss). The resistors 522 of eachof the single-ended circuits 502 and 504 are connected in parallel withthe second capacitor 532.

The positive input of the differential amplifier 506 of single-endedcircuit 502 is connected to input terminal 116, and the output of thisdifferential amplifier is connected to output terminal 113. Similarly,the positive input of the differential amplifier 506 of single-endedcircuit 504 is connected to input terminal 118, and the output of thisdifferential amplifier is connected to output terminal 115.

As shown in FIG. 5B, each differential amplifier 506 of the amplifiercircuit 501 includes two input transistors 110—one for each of itspositive and negative differential inputs. Relative to single-endedcircuits 302 and 304 of FIG. 3, the amplifier circuit 501 of FIG. 5Atherefore uses twice as many input transistors in single-ended circuits502 and 504, resulting not only in a reduction in SNR, but also causingan increase in total power consumption, since a bias current is requiredto reduce thermal noise for each such transistor.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example amplifier circuit 601 that may beused as the buffer circuit 101 of FIG. 1, but which is configured formaintaining a sensor circuit 224 in a constant voltage configurationinstead of a constant charge configuration. The amplifier circuit 601includes a differential amplifier stage 606 that acts as a virtualground for the sensor circuit 224 as it receives the pair ofdifferential input signals at input terminals 116 and 118 and provides apair of differential output signals to output terminals 113 and 115. Theamplifier circuit 601 maintains a constant voltage across the sensorcircuit 224.

Referring again to FIG. 6, a resistor 622A having resistance R_(h) and acapacitor 634A having a capacitance C_(f) are connected in parallelbetween the negative output and the positive input of the differentialamplifier stage 606. Additionally, a resistor 622B having resistanceR_(h) and a capacitor 634B having capacitance C_(f) are also connectedin parallel between the positive output and the negative input of thedifferential amplifier stage 606.

The output voltage noise V_(n) _(_) _(out) of amplifier circuit 601could be approximated as varying with the input-referred voltage noiseV_(n) _(_) _(in) of each of the differential inputs of differentialamplifier stage 606 in accordance with Equation 3, where C_(p) includesalso the parasitic capacitance of the input devices of the amplifier:

$\begin{matrix}{V_{n\_ {out}}^{2} \approx {2 \star \left( {V_{n\_ {in}}\left( {1 + \frac{C_{0} + C_{p}}{C_{f}}} \right)} \right)^{2}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 3} \right)\end{matrix}$

Comparing Equations 1 and 3, the output voltage noise V_(n) _(_) _(out)of the amplifier circuit 601 is greater by a factor of approximately

$\left( \left( {1 + \frac{C_{0} + C_{p}}{C_{f}}} \right) \right)^{2}$

relative to implementations of buffer circuit 101 using a simple sourcefollower or super source follower stage that does not have a voltagegain. If C_(p)<<C₀ and a gain of 0 dB is desired, this results in an SNRloss of approximately 6 dB when the amplifier circuit 601 is used asbuffer circuit 101.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment amplifier single-ended circuit 702 thatmay be used as the single-ended circuit 302 or the single-ended circuit304 of FIG. 3 to provide a configurable positive-dB or negative-dBvoltage gain. Single-ended circuit 702 receives an input signal having avoltage V_(in,half), and provides an output signal having a voltageV_(out,half).

The voltage gain between V_(in,half) and V_(out,half) is determined by aresistance network 750 that is included in single-ended circuit 702,which includes a resistive string made up of resistors 719, 720, 722,and 724, and also includes switches 704, 706, 708, 710, 711, 712, 713,714, and 716. Resistors 719, 720, 722, and 724, which have respectiveresistances of R_(a), R_(b), R_(c), and R_(d), are connected in seriesbetween the output of the class-A output stage 455 and the currentsource 340. Switches 713, 714, and 716 are connected to the source oftransistor 310 and to respective nodes in between resistors 719, 720,722, and 724, and switch 712 is connected between the source oftransistor 310 and the output of the class-A output stage 455. Switches708, 710, and 711 are connected to the body of transistor 310 and torespective nodes in between resistors 719, 720, 722, and 724, and switch706 is connected between the source of transistor 310 and the body oftransistor 310. Switch 704 is connected between the body of transistor310 and V_(dd), and may be used to couple the body to V_(dd). Adegeneration resistor 718 having a resistance R_(s) is included insingle-ended circuit 702 between the source of transistor 412 andV_(SS). In an embodiment, the resistance R_(s) it trimmable with thevoltage gain of single-ended circuit 702. In other embodiments,transistor 412 may be omitted and the degeneration resistor 718 may becoupled directly to the drain of transistor 310. Such embodiments may beappropriate, for example, for implementations in which a differentoutput stage having a higher input impedance (e.g., the gate of atransistor) is substituted for output stage 455.

Referring again to FIG. 7, the voltage gain supported by single-endedcircuit 702 may be trimmed by shorting a combination of the switches712, 713, 714, and 716 and the switches 704, 706, 708, 710, and 711using, for example, static configuration bits. In an embodiment, thebody of transistor 310 is permanently shorted to its source with theswitch 706, and the source of transistor 310 is connected to a tappingpoint of the resistor string by shorting one of the switches 712, 713,714, or 716; in some such embodiments, the resistance R_(s) may also beset to zero, resulting in a circuit equivalent to one of thesingle-ended circuits 402 and 404 of FIG. 4, where resistance R₂ is theresistance between the output of the class-A output stage 455 and thetapping point of the switched resistance network 750, and resistance R₁is the resistance between the tapping point and the output V_(out,half)of single-ended circuit 702. When switches 706 and 712 are shorted, thesingle-ended circuit 702 is a super source follower. When switch 712 andone of switches 708, 710, or 711 of single-ended circuit 702 is shortedto connect the body of transistor 310 to a tapping point of the resistorstring, the equivalent single-ended circuit 802 that results is shown inFIG. 8, where resistance R₂ is the resistance between the output of theclass-A output stage 455 and the tapping point of the switchedresistance network 750, and resistance R₁ is the resistance between thetapping point and the output of single-ended circuit 702.

The components that contribute to the output noise of single-endedcircuit 702 include transistors 310, 403, and resistor 718. Inembodiments of single-ended circuit 702 in which resistances R₁ and R₂are determined by tapping the switched resistance network 750 (aspreviously described), these resistances R₁ and R₂ also contribute tothe thermal output noise V_(n) _(_) _(out) in accordance with Equation4, where g_(m) _(_) ₃₁₀ and g_(m) _(_) ₄₀₃ are the respectivetransconductances of transistors 310 and 403:

$\begin{matrix}{V_{n\_ {out}}^{2} = {{4{{kTR}_{2}\left( {1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}} \right)}} + {4{kT}\frac{2}{3}\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}}\left( {1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}} \right)^{2}} + {4{kT}{\frac{1}{R_{s}}\left\lbrack {{\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}}\left( {1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}} \right)} + R_{2}} \right\rbrack}^{2}} + {4{kT}\frac{2}{3}{g_{{m\_}403}\left\lbrack {{\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}}\left( {1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}} \right)} + R_{2}} \right\rbrack}^{2}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 4} \right)\end{matrix}$

In some such embodiments, although the output noise V_(n) _(_) _(out) ofsingle-ended circuit 702 is dependent on the value of

${1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}},$

the value of R₁+R₂ may be maintained within pre-determined limits evenas the voltage gain is adjusted, so that the stability and currentconsumption of single-ended circuit 702 does not change from one voltagegain configuration to another. The degeneration resistor 718 gives adegree of freedom in the design of single-ended circuit 702 to maintainlow noise in multiple gain configurations. The resistance R_(s) may beadjusted in some embodiments to reduce the noise for relativelyhigh-gain configurations of single-ended circuit 702 in which the inputswing is lower than the output swing, such that a higher R_(s) may beused without compromising linearity.

In other embodiments of single-ended circuit 702 in which resistances R₁and R₂ are determined using switched resistance network 750, the inputreferred noise V_(n) _(_) _(in) of single-ended circuit 702 ismaintained within pre-determined limits for different values of

$1 + {\frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}.}$

The input referred noise V_(n) _(_) _(in) may be determined fromEquation 4 by dividing V_(n) _(_) _(out) by the voltage gain ofsingle-ended circuit 702. For example, where

$1 + \frac{R_{2}}{R_{1}}$

is the voltage gain of single-ended circuit 702 (as is the case foramplifier single-ended circuits 402 or 404 of FIG. 4), V_(n) _(_) _(in)is therefore in accordance with Equation 5, which shows that a lowervalue of

$R_{1}{{R_{2} = \frac{R_{1}R_{2}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}}}$

results in a lower input referred noise V_(n) _(_) _(in):

$\begin{matrix}{V_{n\_ {in}}^{2} = {4{kT}\left\{ {\frac{R_{1}R_{2}}{R_{1} + R_{2}} + {\frac{2}{3}\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}}} + \left\lbrack {{\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}}\left( {\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}}\frac{1}{R_{s}}} \right)} + {\frac{1}{R_{s}}\left( \frac{R_{1}R_{2}}{R_{1} + R_{2}} \right)^{2}} + {2\frac{R_{1}R_{2}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}\left( {\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}}\frac{1}{R_{s}}} \right)}} \right\rbrack + {g_{{m\_}403}\left\lbrack {\frac{1}{g_{{m\_}310}^{2}} + \left( \frac{R_{1}R_{2}}{R_{1} + R_{2}} \right)^{2} + {\frac{2}{g_{{m\_}310}}\frac{R_{1}R_{2}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}}} \right\rbrack}} \right\}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 5} \right)\end{matrix}$

In such embodiments, since the resistances R₁ and R₂ contribute to thenoise, their value may be chosen to be small relative to g_(m) _(_) ₃₁₀.

FIG. 8 illustrates the amplifier single-ended circuit 802 that resultswhen switch 712 and one of switches 708, 710 or 711 of single-endedcircuit 702 (shown in FIG. 7) is shorted. Referring to FIG. 8,single-ended circuit 802 is only different from single-ended circuits402 or 404 of FIG. 4 in that the source of transistor 310 is no longershorted to its body, but is instead connected to the output of thesingle-ended circuit 802. The body of transistor 310 now receives alower signal than its source, so that input transistor 310 ofsingle-ended circuit 802 exhibits a programmable body-effect, to bedescribed further in connection with FIG. 9B. In an embodiment, sincethe body of transistor 310 is driven with a signal smaller than thesource, the source-body pn-junction of transistor 310 is constrainedfrom being biased more than a pre-determined maximum value V_(d) (e.g.,0.4V), by adhering to the constraint of Equation 6:

$\begin{matrix}{V_{dd} < {{\left\lbrack {V_{d} + {\frac{I_{mid}}{2}R_{2}}} \right\rbrack \cdot 2}\frac{R_{1} + R_{2}}{R_{2}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 6} \right)\end{matrix}$

Even if the source-body pn-junction of transistor 310 becomes forwardbiased, the current through transistor 310 is still constrained by theresistive load and will never exceed the value I_(max) given by Equation7:

$\begin{matrix}{I_{\max} = \frac{V_{dd} - V_{d}}{{2 \star R_{1}} + R_{2}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 7} \right)\end{matrix}$

FIG. 9A illustrates an equivalent circuit 900A for transistor 310 asimplemented in single-ended circuit 402 or 404 of FIG. 4, while FIG. 9Billustrates an equivalent circuit 900B for transistor 310 as implementedin the single-ended circuit 802 of FIG. 8. In both circuit 900A andcircuit 900B, transconductances g_(m) and g_(mb) have positive values,and because feedback forces the current of transistor 310 to remainapproximately constant, currents g_(m)v_(sg) and g_(mb)v_(sb) do notflow into any element.

In circuit 900A, the transistor source is shorted to its body, i.e.,source voltage v_(s) is equal to body voltage v_(b). Thus, in circuit900A, no body effect is present, and the source voltage v_(s) is equalto the gate voltage v_(g) and to the input voltage v_(in,half).

In circuit 900B of FIG. 9B, the source is connected to a buffer 905. Thebuffer 905 represents the drive capability provided by the class-Aoutput stage 455 as implemented in the single-ended circuit 802 of FIG.8. This buffer 905 drives a voltage divider formed by resistors 407 and408. Resistor 407 is connected to resistor 408 at the transistor body,such that the body voltage v_(b) is a fraction

$\frac{1}{G}$

of the source voltage v_(s), in accordance with Equation 8:

$\begin{matrix}{v_{b} = {\frac{v_{s}}{G} = {v_{s}\frac{R_{1}}{R_{1} + R_{2}}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 8} \right)\end{matrix}$

Referring again to FIG. 9B, the output voltage v_(out,half) is equal tothe source voltage v_(s). This source voltage v_(s) of FIG. 9B may bedetermined in accordance with Equation 9, which shows that if thevoltage gain G is greater than 1, then v_(s) is less than v_(in):

$\begin{matrix}{v_{s} = {v_{in}\frac{g_{m}}{{g_{mb}\frac{G - 1}{G}} + g_{m}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} 9} \right)\end{matrix}$

FIG. 10 illustrates an embodiment class-AB output stage 1055 that may besubstituted for the class-A output stage 455 in any of FIG. 4, 7, or 8.The only difference between class-AB output stage 1055 and the class-Aoutput stage 455 is that class-AB output stage includes acurrent-sinking circuit 1057. The inclusion of the current-sinkingcircuit 1057 allows the class-AB output stage 1155 to drive amplifiergain resistances without needing a high quiescent current.

FIG. 11 illustrates an embodiment method 1100 for configuring thevoltage gain of an amplifier circuit. The method begins at step 1102. Atstep 1104, a desired voltage gain level for an amplifier circuit iscalculated based on an input device sensitivity S_(a) and a targetsystem output sensitivity S_(ttl). At step 1106, a pair of matchedresistances are chosen in accordance with the desired voltage gain. Atstep 1108, each of a pair of amplifier single-ended circuits isconfigured to provide the matched resistances at connection points of aconfigurable resistance network included in the single-ended circuit. Inan embodiment, the configurable resistance network is connected to anoutput of an inverting amplifier stage, to the body of an inputtransistor, and to the source of the input transistor. At step 1110, adegeneration resistance is adjusted to reduce the noise of the amplifiercircuit in accordance with the desired voltage gain. The method ends atstep 1112.

FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment method 1200 for signal amplification.The method begins at step 1202. At step 1204, for each input transistorof a pair of single-ended amplifier circuits, an input signal isreceived at a first control terminal of the input transistor. At step1206, for each input transistor, a transistor signal is generated at atransistor load path terminal, in accordance with the input signal andfeedback received at a second control terminal of the input transistor.At step 1208, inverting amplifiers included in each single-ended circuitgenerate, in accordance with the transistor signals that were generatedat step 1206, a first output signal and a second output signal. Theseoutput signals are respectively generated at first and second nodes of aresistance network. At step 1210, resistances of the resistance networkgenerate a pair of scaled signals having a voltage that is a respectivefraction of the first output signal voltage and the second output signalvoltage. At step 1212, each of the pair of scaled signals isrespectively provided as a feedback signal to the second controlterminal of each of the pair of input transistors. The method ends atstep 1214.

Illustrative embodiments of the present invention have the advantage ofproviding not only positive-dB voltage gain but also attenuation. Insome embodiments, a MEMS microphone with a differential output may bemaintained in a constant-charge configuration to improve microphonesensitivity. In some embodiments, a pseudo-differential amplifierconnected to a sensor circuit minimizes the number of input devices usedwhile keeping the transfer function of the noise of the input deviceequal to the transfer function of the input signal. In some embodiments,an amplifier with differential inputs exhibits low power consumption,rail-to-rail output signal swing, low distortion, and low noise, issuitable for operating with low voltage supplies, and provides highimpedance inputs and a programmable resistance network to support bothpositive-dB and negative-dB voltage gain.

The following additional example embodiments of the present inventionare also provided. In accordance with a first example embodiment of thepresent invention, an amplification device is provided. Theamplification device includes a resistance network coupled between afirst output of the amplification device and a second output of theamplification device. The amplification device also includes a firsttransistor having a control terminal coupled to a first input node ofthe amplification device. The amplification device also includes a firstload path terminal coupled to the resistance network at a first node.The amplification device also includes a second transistor having acontrol terminal coupled to a second input node of the amplificationdevice and a first load path terminal coupled to the resistance networkat a second node. The amplification device also includes a capacitivesensor coupled to the first input node and to the second input node. Theamplification device also includes a first inverting amplifier thatincludes an input coupled to a second load path terminal of the firsttransistor and an output coupled to a first output node of theamplification device. The amplification device also includes a secondinverting amplifier that includes an input coupled to a second load pathterminal of the second transistor. The second inverting amplifier alsoincludes an output coupled to a second output node of the amplificationdevice.

Also, the foregoing first example embodiment may be implemented toinclude one or more of the following additional features. Theamplification device may also be implemented to further include at leastone of a first current source or a first degeneration resistor, which iscoupled to the second load path terminal of the first transistor and toa first reference voltage. In this implementation, the amplificationdevice also includes at least one of a second current source or a seconddegeneration resistor, which is coupled to the second load path terminalof the second transistor and to the first reference voltage.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that the firstinverting amplifier includes a third current source and a thirdtransistor. In this implementation, the third transistor has a firstload path terminal coupled to the second load path terminal of the firsttransistor. The third transistor also includes a second load pathterminal coupled to the third current source. The first invertingamplifier also includes a fourth transistor having a first load pathterminal coupled to the first output node. The fourth transistor alsohas a control terminal coupled to the second load path terminal of thethird transistor. The second inverting amplifier includes a fourthcurrent source and a fifth transistor. The fifth transistor has a firstload path terminal coupled to the second load path terminal of thesecond transistor. The fifth transistor also has a second load pathterminal coupled to the fourth current source. The second invertingamplifier also includes a sixth transistor having a first load pathterminal coupled to the second output node. The sixth transistor alsoincludes a control terminal coupled to the second load path terminal ofthe fifth transistor.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that each of thefirst transistor, the second transistor, the fourth transistor, thesixth transistor, the third current source, and the fourth currentsource includes a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor(MOSFET) having a first channel type. In this implementation, each ofthe third transistor, the fifth transistor, the first current source,and the second current source includes a MOSFET having a second channeltype. Each of the first channel type and the second channel type areopposite channel types selected from either a p-channel type or ann-channel type.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that it furtherincludes a first bias resistor coupled between the first input node anda reference voltage. In this implementation, the amplification devicealso includes a second bias resistor coupled between the second inputnode an a second reference voltage.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that the firstload path terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the firstoutput node of the amplification device. In this implementation, thefirst load path terminal of the second transistor is coupled to thesecond output node of the amplification device.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that a secondcontrol terminal of the first transistor is coupled to one of a secondreference voltage or a third node of the resistance network. In thisimplementation, a second control terminal of the second transistor iscoupled to one of the second reference voltage or a fourth node of theresistance network.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that theresistance network further includes a first resistance coupled between asecond control terminal of the first transistor and a third node of theresistance network. In this implementation, the resistance network alsoincludes a second resistance coupled between the second control terminalof the first transistor and the output of the first inverting amplifier.The resistance network also includes a third resistance coupled betweena second control terminal of the second transistor and the third node ofthe resistance network. The resistance network also includes a fourthresistance coupled between the second control terminal of the secondtransistor and the output of the second inverting amplifier. In thisimplementation, a voltage gain of the amplification device is inaccordance with a ratio of the second resistance divided by the firstresistance. A ratio of the fourth resistance divided by the thirdresistance is the same as the ratio of the second resistance divided bythe first resistance.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that the firstload path terminal of the first transistor is directly connected to theoutput of the first inverting amplifier. In this implementation, thefirst load path terminal of the second transistor is directly connectedto the output of the second inverting amplifier.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that it furtherincludes a first switch network coupled to the resistance network. Inthis implementation, the amplification device also includes a secondswitch network coupled to the resistance network. The first resistanceand the second resistance are each selectable by configuring the firstswitch network in accordance with a voltage gain setting. The thirdresistance and the fourth resistance are each selectable by configuringthe second switch network in accordance with the voltage gain setting.

The amplification device may also be implemented such that the firstload path terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the secondcontrol terminal of the first transistor. In this implementation, thefirst load path terminal of the second transistor is coupled to thesecond control terminal of the second transistor. The second controlterminal of the first transistor is a body terminal, and the secondcontrol terminal of the second transistor is a body terminal.

In accordance with a second example embodiment of the present invention,a method for signal amplification is provided. The method includesreceiving, by a first control terminal of a first transistor, a firstinput signal from a capacitive sensor. The method also includesreceiving, by a first control terminal of a second transistor, a secondinput signal from the capacitive sensor. The method also includesproducing a first output signal, to include amplifying a first signal ata first load path terminal of the first transistor using a firstinverting amplifier having an output coupled to a resistance network.The method also includes producing a second output signal, to includeamplifying a second signal at a first load path terminal of the secondtransistor using a second inverting amplifier having an output coupledto the resistance network. The method also includes feeding back thefirst output signal and the second output signal to a second load pathterminal of the first transistor and to a second load path terminal ofthe second transistor via the resistance network according to apre-determined fraction.

Also, the foregoing second example embodiment may be implemented toinclude one or more of the following additional features. The method mayalso be implemented to further include adjusting the pre-determinedfraction. In this implementation, adjusting the pre-determined fractionincludes changing how the second load path terminal of the firsttransistor and the second load path terminal of the second transistorare coupled to the resistance network.

The method may also be implemented to further include feeding back thefirst output signal and the second output signal to a second controlterminal of the first transistor and to a second control terminal of thesecond transistor via the resistance network according to thepre-determined fraction. In this implementation, a voltage differencebetween the first output signal and the second output signal is inaccordance with a voltage difference between the first input signal andthe second input signal and with a reciprocal of the pre-determinedfraction.

The method may also be implemented to further include feeding back thefirst output signal and the second output signal to a second controlterminal of the first transistor and to a second control terminal of thesecond transistor via the resistance network according to a secondpre-determined fraction. In this implementation, the method alsoincludes adjusting the second pre-determined fraction, which includeschanging how the second control terminal of the first transistor and thesecond control terminal of the second transistor are coupled to theresistance network.

The method may also be implemented such that producing the first outputsignal further includes receiving, at a load path terminal of a thirdtransistor included in the first inverting amplifier, the first signalfrom the first load path terminal of the first transistor. In thisimplementation, producing the second output signal further includesreceiving, at a load path terminal of a fourth transistor included inthe second inverting amplifier, the second signal from the first loadpath terminal of the second transistor. The resistance network includesa plurality of series connected resistors coupled between the output ofthe first inverting amplifier at a first node and the output of thesecond inverting amplifier at a second node. A second control terminalof the first transistor is selectably coupled to a third node of theresistance network between the first node and the second node, and asecond control terminal of the second transistor is selectably coupledto a fourth node of the resistance network between the third node andthe second node.

The method may also be implemented such that each of the firsttransistor and the second transistor includes a MOSFET. In thisimplementation, the second control terminal of the first transistor is abody terminal, and the second control terminal of the second transistoris a body terminal. The method may also be implemented such that thepre-determined fraction is 1.

In accordance with a third example embodiment of the present invention,an amplifier system is provided. The amplifier system includes a firsttransistor having a control terminal coupled to a first input node, asecond transistor having a control terminal coupled to a second inputnode. In this implementation, the amplifier system also includes a firstinverting amplifier. The first inverting amplifier includes a thirdtransistor having a first load path terminal coupled to the first loadpath terminal of the first transistor. The amplifier system alsoincludes a first output node coupled to an output of the first invertingamplifier. The amplifier system also includes a second invertingamplifier, which includes a fourth transistor having a first load pathterminal coupled to the first load path terminal of the secondtransistor. The amplifier system also includes a second output nodecoupled to an output of the second inverting amplifier. The amplifiersystem also includes a switchable resistance network coupled between theoutput of the first inverting amplifier and the output of the secondinverting amplifier. The switchable resistance network is selectablycoupled to a second load path terminal of the first transistor and to asecond load path terminal of the second transistor.

Also, the foregoing first example embodiment may be implemented toinclude one or more of the following additional features. The amplifiersystem may also be implemented to further include a capacitive sensorcoupled to the first input node and to the second input node. In thisimplementation, the capacitive sensor includes a dual back-platemicro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device that is capacitivelycoupled to the first input node and to the second input node. Theamplifier system may also be implemented such that the dual back-plateMEMS device is a microphone.

The amplifier system may also be implemented to further include a firstcurrent source coupled to the first load path terminal of the firsttransistor, and a second current source coupled to the first load pathterminal of the second transistor. In this implementation, the firstinverting amplifier includes a third current source coupled to a secondload path terminal of the third transistor. The first invertingamplifier also includes a fifth transistor. The fifth transistor has afirst load path terminal coupled to the first output node, and also hasa control terminal coupled to the second load path terminal of the thirdtransistor. The second inverting amplifier includes a fourth currentsource coupled to a second load path terminal of the fourth transistor.The second inverting amplifier also includes a sixth transistor having afirst load path terminal coupled to the second output node. The sixthtransistor also has a control terminal coupled to the second load pathterminal of the fourth transistor.

The amplifier system may also be implemented to further include a fifthcurrent source coupled to a third node of the switchable resistancenetwork. In this implementation, the amplifier system also includes afirst bias resistor and a second bias resistor. The first bias resistoris coupled between a reference voltage and the control terminal of thefirst transistor, and the second bias resistor is coupled between thereference voltage and the control terminal of the second transistor.

The amplifier system may also be implemented such that the second loadpath terminal of the first transistor is directly connected to thesecond output node. In this implementation, the second load pathterminal of the second transistor is directly connected to the secondoutput node.

The amplifier system may also be implemented such that a second controlterminal of the first transistor is coupled to a fourth node of theswitchable resistance network. In this implementation, a second controlterminal of the second transistor is coupled to a fifth node of theswitchable resistance network.

The amplifier system may also be implemented such that the switchableresistance network further includes a first resistance coupled between asecond control terminal of the first transistor and a third node of theswitchable resistance network. In this implementation, the switchableresistance network also includes a second resistance coupled between thesecond control terminal of the first transistor and the output of thefirst inverting amplifier. The switchable resistance network alsoincludes a third resistance coupled between a second control terminal ofthe second transistor and the third node of the switchable resistancenetwork. The switchable resistance network also includes a fourthresistance coupled between the second control terminal of the secondtransistor and the output of the second inverting amplifier.

The amplifier system may also be implemented to further include avoltage gain, where the second load path terminal of the firsttransistor is coupled to the second control terminal of the firsttransistor, and the second load path terminal of the second transistoris coupled to the second control terminal of the second transistor. Inthis implementation, the voltage gain is in accordance with a ratio ofthe second resistance divided by the first resistance. A ratio of thefourth resistance divided by the third resistance is the same as theratio of the second resistance divided by the first resistance.

The amplifier system may also be implemented to further include a firstswitch network coupled to the switchable resistance network, and asecond switch network coupled to the switchable resistance network. Inthis implementation, the first resistance and the second resistance areeach selectable by configuring the first switch network in accordancewith a voltage gain setting. The third resistance and the fourthresistance are each selectable by configuring the second switch networkin accordance with the voltage gain setting.

The amplifier system may also be implemented such that each of the firsttransistor, the second transistor, the fifth transistor, the sixthtransistor, the third current source, and the fourth current sourceincludes a MOSFET having a first channel type. In this implementation,each of the third transistor, the fourth transistor, the first currentsource, and the second current source includes a MOSFET having a secondchannel type, and each of the first channel type and the second channeltype include opposite channel types selected from either a p-channeltype or an n-channel type. The second control terminal of the firsttransistor is a body terminal, and the second control terminal of thesecond transistor is a body terminal.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of theillustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention,will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to thedescription. It is therefore intended that the appended claims encompassany such modifications or embodiments.

1. An amplification device, comprising: a resistance network coupledbetween a first output of the amplification device and a second outputof the amplification device, a first transistor having a controlterminal coupled to a first input node of the amplification device and afirst load path terminal coupled to the resistance network at a firstnode; a second transistor having a control terminal coupled to a secondinput node of the amplification device and a first load path terminalcoupled to the resistance network at a second node, wherein at least oneof the first input node and the second input node is configured to becoupled to a capacitive sensor; a first inverting amplifier comprisingan input coupled to a second load path terminal of the first transistorand an output coupled to a first output node of the amplificationdevice, wherein the first inverting amplifier comprises a third currentsource, a third transistor having a first load path terminal coupled tothe second load path terminal of the first transistor, a second loadpath terminal coupled to the third current source, and a fourthtransistor having a first load path terminal coupled to the first outputnode, and a control terminal coupled to the second load path terminal ofthe third transistor; and a second inverting amplifier comprising aninput coupled to a second load path terminal of the second transistorand an output coupled to a second output node of the amplificationdevice, wherein the second inverting amplifier comprises a fourthcurrent source, a fifth transistor having a first load path terminalcoupled to the second load path terminal of the second transistor, and asecond load path terminal coupled to the fourth current source, and asixth transistor having a first load path terminal coupled to the secondoutput node, and a control terminal coupled to the second load pathterminal of the fifth transistor.
 2. The amplification device of claim1, further comprising: at least one of a first current source or a firstdegeneration resistor, coupled to the second load path terminal of thefirst transistor and to a first reference voltage; and at least one of asecond current source or a second degeneration resistor, coupled to thesecond load path terminal of the second transistor and to the firstreference voltage.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The amplification device of claim 2,wherein: each of the first transistor, the second transistor, the fourthtransistor, the sixth transistor, the third current source, and thefourth current source comprises a metal oxide semiconductor field effecttransistor (MOSFET) having a first channel type, each of the thirdtransistor, the fifth transistor, the first current source, and thesecond current source comprises a MOSFET having a second channel type;and each of the first channel type and the second channel type compriseopposite channel types selected from a p-channel type or an n-channeltype.
 5. The amplification device of claim 2, further comprising: afirst bias resistor coupled between the first input node and a referencevoltage; and a second bias resistor coupled between the second inputnode and a second reference voltage.
 6. The amplification device ofclaim 2, wherein: the first load path terminal of the first transistoris coupled to the first output node of the amplification device; and thefirst load path terminal of the second transistor is coupled to thesecond output node of the amplification device.
 7. The amplificationdevice of claim 2, wherein: a second control terminal of the firsttransistor is coupled to one of a second reference voltage or a thirdnode of the resistance network; and a second control terminal of thesecond transistor is coupled to one of the second reference voltage or afourth node of the resistance network.
 8. An amplification device,comprising: a resistance network coupled between a first output of theamplification device and a second output of the amplification device, afirst transistor having a control terminal coupled to a first input nodeof the amplification device and a first load path terminal coupled tothe resistance network at a first node: a second transistor having acontrol terminal coupled to a second input node of the amplificationdevice and a first load path terminal coupled to the resistance networkat a second node, wherein at least one of the first input node and thesecond input node is configured to be coupled to a capacitive sensor; afirst inverting amplifier comprising an input coupled to a second loadpath terminal of the first transistor and an output coupled to a firstoutput node of the amplification device; and a second invertingamplifier comprising an input coupled to a second load path terminal ofthe second transistor and an output coupled to a second output node ofthe amplification device: a first resistance coupled between a secondcontrol terminal of the first transistor and a third node of theresistance network; a second resistance coupled between the secondcontrol terminal of the first transistor and the output of the firstinverting amplifier; a third resistance coupled between a second controlterminal of the second transistor and the third node of the resistancenetwork; and a fourth resistance coupled between the second controlterminal of the second transistor and the output of the second invertingamplifier; and wherein: a voltage gain of the amplification device is inaccordance with a ratio of the second resistance divided by the firstresistance, and a ratio of the fourth resistance divided by the thirdresistance is the same as the ratio of the second resistance divided bythe first resistance.
 9. The amplification device of claim 8, wherein:the first load path terminal of the first transistor is directlyconnected to the output of the first inverting amplifier; and the firstload path terminal of the second transistor is directly connected to theoutput of the second inverting amplifier.
 10. The amplification deviceof claim 8, further comprising: a first switch network coupled to theresistance network; and a second switch network coupled to theresistance network, wherein the first resistance and the secondresistance are each selectable by configuring the first switch networkin accordance with a voltage gain setting, and the third resistance andthe fourth resistance are each selectable by configuring the secondswitch network in accordance with the voltage gain setting.
 11. Theamplification device of claim 8, wherein: the first load path terminalof the first transistor is coupled to the second control terminal of thefirst transistor; the first load path terminal of the second transistoris coupled to the second control terminal of the second transistor; thesecond control terminal of the first transistor is a body terminal; andthe second control terminal of the second transistor is a body terminal.12. A method for signal amplification, comprising: receiving, by a firstcontrol terminal of a first transistor, a first input signal from acapacitive sensor; receiving, by a first control terminal of a secondtransistor, a second input signal from the capacitive sensor; producinga first output signal, producing the first output signal comprisingamplifying a first signal at a first load path terminal of the firsttransistor using a first inverting amplifier having an output coupled toa resistance network, and receiving, at a load path terminal of a thirdtransistor comprised in the first inverting amplifier, the first signalfrom the first load path terminal of the first transistor; producing asecond output signal, producing the second output signal comprisingamplifying a second signal at a first load path terminal of the secondtransistor using a second inverting amplifier having an output coupledto the resistance network, the producing the second output signalfurther comprises receiving, at a load path terminal of a fourthtransistor comprised in the second inverting amplifier, the secondsignal from the first load path terminal of the second transistor; andfeeding back the first output signal and the second output signal to asecond load path terminal of the first transistor and to a second loadpath terminal of the second transistor via the resistance networkaccording to a pre-determined fraction, wherein the resistance networkcomprises a plurality of series connected resistors coupled between theoutput of the first inverting amplifier at a first node and the outputof the second inverting amplifier at a second node, a second controlterminal of the first transistor is selectably coupled to a third nodeof the resistance network between the first node and the second node,and a second control terminal of the second transistor is selectablycoupled to a fourth node of the resistance network between the thirdnode and the second node.
 13. The method of claim 12, furthercomprising: adjusting the pre-determined fraction, adjusting thepre-determined fraction comprising changing how the second load pathterminal of the first transistor and the second load path terminal ofthe second transistor are coupled to the resistance network.
 14. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising: feeding back the first outputsignal and the second output signal to a second control terminal of thefirst transistor and to a second control terminal of the secondtransistor via the resistance network according to the pre-determinedfraction, wherein a voltage difference between the first output signaland the second output signal is in accordance with a voltage differencebetween the first input signal and the second input signal and with areciprocal of the pre-determined fraction.
 15. The method of claim 12,further comprising: feeding back the first output signal and the secondoutput signal to a second control terminal of the first transistor andto a second control terminal of the second transistor via the resistancenetwork according to a second pre-determined fraction; and adjusting thesecond pre-determined fraction, adjusting the second pre-determinedfraction comprising changing how the second control terminal of thefirst transistor and the second control terminal of the secondtransistor are coupled to the resistance network.
 16. (canceled)
 17. Themethod of claim 12, wherein: each of the first transistor and the secondtransistor comprises a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor(MOSFET); the second control terminal of the first transistor is a bodyterminal; and the second control terminal of the second transistor is abody terminal.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein: the pre-determinedfraction is
 1. 19. An amplifier system, comprising: a first transistorhaving a control terminal coupled to a first input node; a secondtransistor having a control terminal coupled to a second input node; afirst inverting amplifier comprising a third transistor having a firstload path terminal coupled to the first load path terminal of the firsttransistor; a first output node coupled to an output of the firstinverting amplifier; a second inverting amplifier comprising a fourthtransistor having a first load path terminal coupled to the first loadpath terminal of the second transistor; a second output node coupled toan output of the second inverting amplifier; and a switchable resistancenetwork coupled between the output of the first inverting amplifier andthe output of the second inverting amplifier, wherein the switchableresistance network is selectably coupled to a second load path terminalof the first transistor and to a second load path terminal of the secondtransistor.
 20. The amplifier system of claim 19, further comprising: acapacitive sensor coupled to the first input node and to the secondinput node, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a dual back-platemicro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device that is capacitivelycoupled to the first input node and to the second input node.
 21. Theamplifier system of claim 20, wherein the dual back-plate MEMS devicecomprises a microphone.
 22. The amplifier system of claim 19, furthercomprising: a first current source coupled to the first load pathterminal of the first transistor; and a second current source coupled tothe first load path terminal of the second transistor, wherein: thefirst inverting amplifier comprises: a third current source coupled to asecond load path terminal of the third transistor; and a fifthtransistor having a first load path terminal coupled to the first outputnode, and a control terminal coupled to the second load path terminal ofthe third transistor; and the second inverting amplifier comprises: afourth current source coupled to a second load path terminal of thefourth transistor; and a sixth transistor having a first load pathterminal coupled to the second output node, and a control terminalcoupled to the second load path terminal of the fourth transistor. 23.The amplifier system of claim 22, further comprising: a fifth currentsource coupled to a third node of the switchable resistance network, afirst bias resistor coupled between a reference voltage and the controlterminal of the first transistor; and a second bias resistor coupledbetween the reference voltage and the control terminal of the secondtransistor.
 24. The amplifier system of claim 22, wherein: the secondload path terminal of the first transistor is directly connected to thesecond output node; and the second load path terminal of the secondtransistor is directly connected to the second output node.
 25. Theamplifier system of claim 24, wherein: a second control terminal of thefirst transistor is coupled to a fourth node of the switchableresistance network; and a second control terminal of the secondtransistor is coupled to a fifth node of the switchable resistancenetwork.
 26. The amplifier system of claim 22, wherein the switchableresistance network further comprises: a first resistance coupled betweena second control terminal of the first transistor and a third node ofthe switchable resistance network; a second resistance coupled betweenthe second control terminal of the first transistor and the output ofthe first inverting amplifier; a third resistance coupled between asecond control terminal of the second transistor and the third node ofthe switchable resistance network; and a fourth resistance coupledbetween the second control terminal of the second transistor and theoutput of the second inverting amplifier.
 27. The amplifier system ofclaim 26, further comprising a voltage gain, wherein: the second loadpath terminal of the first transistor is coupled to the second controlterminal of the first transistor; the second load path terminal of thesecond transistor is coupled to the second control terminal of thesecond transistor; the voltage gain is in accordance with a ratio of thesecond resistance divided by the first resistance; and a ratio of thefourth resistance divided by the third resistance is the same as theratio of the second resistance divided by the first resistance.
 28. Theamplifier system of claim 26, further comprising: a first switch networkcoupled to the switchable resistance network; and a second switchnetwork coupled to the switchable resistance network, wherein the firstresistance and the second resistance are each selectable by configuringthe first switch network in accordance with a voltage gain setting, andthe third resistance and the fourth resistance are each selectable byconfiguring the second switch network in accordance with the voltagegain setting.
 29. The amplifier system of claim 28, wherein: each of thefirst transistor, the second transistor, the fifth transistor, the sixthtransistor, the third current source, and the fourth current sourcecomprises a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET)having a first channel type; each of the third transistor, the fourthtransistor, the first current source, and the second current sourcecomprises a MOSFET having a second channel type; each of the firstchannel type and the second channel type comprise opposite channel typesselected from a p-channel type or an n-channel type; the second controlterminal of the first transistor is a body terminal; and the secondcontrol terminal of the second transistor is a body terminal.
 30. Theamplifier system of claim 19, wherein the switchable resistance networkcomprises: a first plurality of resistors coupled between the output ofthe first inverting amplifier and an intermediate node; a firstplurality of switches coupled between the output of the first invertingamplifier and corresponding resistors of the first plurality ofresistors; a second plurality of resistors coupled between theintermediate node and the output of the second inverting amplifier; anda second plurality of switches coupled between the output of the secondinverting amplifier and corresponding resistors of the second pluralityof resistors.
 31. The amplifier system of claim 30, further comprising:a third plurality of switches coupled between a bulk node of the firsttransistor and the corresponding resistors of the first plurality ofresistors; and a fourth plurality of switches coupled between a bulknode of the second transistor and corresponding resistors of the secondplurality of resistors.
 32. The amplification device of claim 1, furthercomprising the capacitive sensor.
 33. The amplification device of claim8, further comprising the capacitive sensor.
 34. The amplificationdevice of claim 8, further comprising: at least one of a first currentsource or a first degeneration resistor, coupled to the second load pathterminal of the first transistor and to a first reference voltage; andat least one of a second current source or a second degenerationresistor, coupled to the second load path terminal of the secondtransistor and to the first reference voltage.